Whenever business people depend on one industry for their livelihood, when something happens to that industry, everyone suffers for awhile. But people are creative and resilient and, once the initial shock or surprise diminishes, they begin to look for new opportunities. I can think of Elliot Lake for example that went from being a mining town to a ghost town to a thriving retirement community. 

Well, here in Niagara, where I live, CanGro, the St. David’s processing plant, is closing. Not that it is a complete surprise. There have been rumours for some years now. But the farmers who depended on the plant for the sale of their crops had hoped that one or more investors would buy it. The problem is not local. The problem is that we live in a new world — where there is free trade and a global economy – and where it is now cheaper to process peaches elsewhere.

However, that said, the sky is not falling. Contrary to what Christina Blizzard said this week, the Niagara tender fruit industry (peaches, pears, cherries and plums) is not dying. While the industry is certainly experiencing a significant set back, it is not being killed over the closure of the processing plant.  

While it is true that some farmers have cut down their trees, they are replacing them with a different crop better suited to frozen or fresh fruit markets. They are diversifying as they probably should have years ago — in much the same way as tobacco farmers have had to do.

But, let me assure readers, the tender fruit industry itself is still strong. I have several friends and family through marriage involved in both grape and tender fruit farming — which are very different types of crops by the way. Many fruit farmers are gradually changing the look of their crops to include some popular varieties of grapes along with some tender fruit.

It was the same with grape growers twenty years ago. The large wineries started shutting down and the concord grape was only wanted for juice. So, grape growers had to flatten their fields and start over with different varieties. It was also a time of great change and challenge when everyone from the grape farmers to the Ontario government began to think of a new vision. And, along the way a miracle happened. A few farmers got together and started the VQA standard and opened what they began to call “boutique wineries” or “estate wineries.” And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Yet, if the larger wineries had not forced those farmers to think “outside the box” we would probably not have the Niagara wine industry we have today, known the world over for its quality.

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